All Things Good and Bad
by Vilsy
Summary: After being called out on what seemed like a routine mission to put away those crazy H.A.E.Y.P. students, the team comes across a very disturbing discovery. This leads to a series of unexplained disappearances.. even murders.. PG-13 to R..
1. They Moved Like One

Teen Titans: **All Things... Good and Bad...: Part One**

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Author's Note:  
  
I'm not good at writing disclaimers, because at the moment I am not motivated enough to dig around to find out all the copyright information regarding Teen Titans... so...  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... D.C. Comics... blah blah blah... I do not own stock in them.. blah blah.. do not take credit for Teen Titans characters.. blah blah... just paying homage... yadda yadda. 

I got stuck on my Beast Boy story... don't shoot me.. but I'm trying a different route with my Teen Titans literature. We'll see if it's easier to write this one than one simply based on one character... R&R if you like.

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**Part One: They Moved Like One...**

The way the team moved together, yet separately, had always been like art in motion. Being together for so many years had molded the five teenagers into a seamless, well-oiled machine, whose parts, though separate, could move and function together without premeditation. Like five shadows, they could move quickly and silently in the darkness, for they knew exactly where to go and how to go about getting there. It did not matter that, at any given moment, each member was several city blocks apart from the others. What mattered was that their minds were always united; they knew and trusted each other better than anything else.

The way they moved was truly beautiful.

Even the nearly half-ton cybernetic young man contributed to the grace of the Teen Titans' stalking formation. Cyborg was frequently bound to ground travel. However, this did not subtract from his ability to move quickly and efficiently through the black labyrinth of a Jump City night. His large metallic feet impacted remarkably lightly against the hard, solid pavement and cement, and he trekked purposely forward in a surefooted manner. The pale blue lights on his arms and legs illuminated his surroundings, leaving a brilliant azure streak in the large man's wake. His deep chocolate eyes diverted to the left for a moment, glancing down an alleyway where he knew his compatriot was treading, not too far away.

The much younger and much smaller changeling had many different outlets to aid his night-striding. Beast Boy's blade-sharp emerald eyes were fixed on the many obstacles ahead of him as he moved his long, lanky limbs in a heated sprint through the alleyway. Abruptly, his lean frame contracted and morphed into the form of an alley cat. This was more than appropriate enough to negotiate the hurdles ahead of him-- several dumpsters and trashcans were strewn about the alley, blocking his path. In his agile cat form, he managed to leap atop each of these garbage vessels and continue along the set course, ducking and weaving through various other obstructions. Though still, in actuality, very clumsy and physically awkward in his normal form, Beast Boy could not be topped in the area of resourcefulness when it came to his specialty powers. In a period of three seconds, he returned to his normal form, then, narrowly avoiding making unpleasant contact with a high fence, he morphed into a bird and took flight over the wooden barrier. As he ascended, he caught a fleeting glimpse at another airborne creature, but only a very fleeting glimpse.

A small distance away, a shadowy cloaked figure phased in and out of the darkness. Elegance and mystery seemed to trail behind the midnight blue cloak that adorned the native of Azarath. Raven's dark purple eyes were focused straight ahead, but she was aware of the small green avis that was soaring parallel to her in the endless star-spangled sky. The way she moved was without err. Each building she encountered was adeptly evaded with dignity and grace, and not so much of a hair blew out of place. This of course, could be to the fact that her hood was drawn up over her head, but her grace surely had something to do with it as well. The young woman moved best in the after-hours, as she was almost one with the cloak of night. She came in contact with the side of one building, but her ghostly visage merely melted into the structure. A minute later, she re-emerged from the opposite brick wall and continued on her exquisite flight. For but a moment, her eyes lifted to the heavens where they observed a faint glimmer of electric green.

Tamaran seemed so much closer from the high elevation that the young woman so preferred to travel at. Long, layered sheets of vibrant crimson hair billowed in the crisp evening air, flowing delicately from the alien princess's head. Her long legs stretched out behind her and her delicate but deceptively strong arms led her path of flight. Her gentle, verdant eyes were closed as the wind caressed her young face, and she could feel the warmth of her companions below her. She slowly opened her eyes again, and they glowed fiercely green in the navy blue night. The intense benevolence and love that Starfire constantly kindled in her heart and soul were temporarily stifled as she traveled with purpose and determined focus. Her glowing eyes rose to Tamaran, her dearly loved home planet. The muscles in her face tightened as thoughts of the past rushed through her mind, but suddenly she refocused her sight and thoughts downward to the rooftops below, following a small streak of yellow. This was now what the Tamaranean girl lived for. The passion of flight... of the fight... of her teammates, flowed violently through her veins. She focused ardently on that yellow streak.

The inborn agility that the young masked man exhibited rivaled that of the changeling's cat form. The yellow and black cape adorned on his back fluttered violently behind as a testament to his spryness as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop. The proclaimed leader of the team landed dexterously on the edge of the top of a building and he crouched there, arms between his knees, much like an actual cat. He looked up for a moment, nodded, then looked down, and gave another decisive nod. He too could feel his team moving around him. Their minds were almost as one. Perhaps it was ever deeper than that. Robin recoiled in anticipation, then leapt forward and went into a breakneck sprint to prepare himself for another roof-hop. Without any trace of fear, the Boy Wonder threw himself off of the building and began to plummet-- his arms and legs spread slightly to catch the wind and take advantage of its resistance. His cape snapped and whipped violently in the wind as he fell, and it was a wonder that it did not rip from the sheer force of the drop and the abuse from the air. It is arguable that he was by far the most graceful of them all.

With a final curl and a lithe somersault, Robin landed on the top of a warehouse on the East End of the city and rolled to a crouching position. Seconds later, the large form of a half-teen, half-machine vaulted up onto the roof beside him. Moments later, a green crow hovered down to his left, quickly growing to the height of a slender boy. Follow shortly after, a dark cloaked figure phased up from the surface of the roof and stood a few paces behind the others. Lastly, but not a second late, the elegant form of a Tamaranean gently touched down from the heavens. The jet-black mask covering the leader's eyes contorted in a highly serious expression, and he held up a fist as he stood to his full height. His voice was deep and stern, but barely above a whisper.

"We're here."

The others said nothing and merely stood strong and tall, gazing down at the skylight they had all convened at. They patiently awaited the leader's command.

"Titans... go!"

With one mighty motion, Cyborg grabbed the edge of the glass-paned skylight and threw his arm upwards, ripping the window clean off of the roof. Beast Boy transformed into an immense eagle and dove into the opening, his wings just barely able to fit into the newly created opening. Raven took to flight as well, scrupulously lowering herself into the window, while Starfire grabbed a hold of Cyborg's shoulders and lifted him up, preparing to carefully lower him into the building as well. When his team had infiltrated, Robin nodded to himself and clenched both fists, taking a blind leap into the uncertainty of the night's mission.

A mission that would prove to be like no other.


	2. The Horror, The Horror

Teen Titans: **All Things... Good and Bad...: Part Two**

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Author's Note:  
  
I'm not good at writing disclaimers, because at the moment I am not motivated enough to dig around to find out all the copyright information regarding Teen Titans... so...  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... D.C. Comics... blah blah blah... I do not own stock in them.. blah blah.. do not take credit for Teen Titans characters.. blah blah... just paying homage... yadda yadda. 

Warning: This chapter has a little bit of graphic description in it. If you're faint of heart, then be forewarned.Thanks. R&R if you so desire.

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**Part Two: The Horror... The Horror...**

There was no want for dramatic posing when the Teen Titans came a-knocking. Robin hit the hard concrete floor soundlessly and jerked his body quickly into the random martial arts stance of the day. His compatriots, who had assumed their characteristic stances as well, surrounded him. All of them bore intensely dire expressions on their faces, including Beast Boy who had returned to normal once more. Robin was planning to let out a war cry of sorts when his enemies came into view, but no such opportunity seemed to want to present itself. The five of them stood ready for a good minute or two before they allowed their muscles to relax, and their expressions to become confused. Silence ensued. Beast Boy, as per the norm, was the first to break this silence.

"Uh... are you sure this is the right warehouse, dude?"

Robin's eye narrowed and his green gloved fingers slid across his chin pensively. "I was certain that the distress call was being transmitted from warehouse 5."

Raven had already pulled her hood off of her head and let her cloak consume the rest of her figure. She glanced over to the wall, her vision being distracted by an enormous number "5" crafted in white paint. "Obviously, this is warehouse 5."

The organic part of Cyborg's face twisted in both confusion and distaste as he frantically looked around for any signs of life. "Aw man! This place is empty! Was this some kind of joke?"

Starfire's eyes returned to normal and the vibrant green glow dissipated from around her clenched fists. She took a few steps towards Robin and tilted her head to the side. "Yes, it appears as though a jest has been made at the expense of our sense of duty. Are you certain that the signal was--"

"This wasn't a joke," Robin cut in, marching forward before Starfire could get much closer. He scanned the area with his eyes as he walked, his lip pursed in disbelief at the huge, very empty building. Not only was it empty, but very dark as well. Perhaps an ambush was to come. Robin made a note of this possibility and bent low to the floor, quickly moving across the length of the warehouse as his acute eyes inspected every inch of the darkness.

The others stood by, again waiting for further instructions. Raven took it upon herself to levitate up several feet to get a better scope of their surroundings, and Starfire followed suit. They observed nothing but a big, empty building with a white 5 on the wall.

Some time later, Robin returned to his companions, a look of frustration on his masked face. "This doesn't make sense. There were several reports that the Hive Academy creeps were raiding this warehouse less than an hour ago. There were eyewitnesses..." He turned and looked towards the rafters high up on the ceiling. "Gizmo is a loudmouth twerp... I couldn't see those three not being seen or heard no matter what they do."

Cyborg nodded fervently in agreement. His distaste for Gizmo was more than apparent. He placed his thick fingers on the barrel of his sonic cannon on his right arm, almost itching to use it on the half-pint villain. "I feel that. But I sure don't see a trace of any of them in here."

Beast Boy took a few bold steps towards Robin and put one had firmly on his hip, and slid the other hand through his soft, green hair. "Maybe we're too late. I mean, they coulda just bailed, right?"

Raven, deep down, really enjoyed raining on Beast Boy's parade. She drifted a few feet closer to the boys and touched down gently. "I highly doubt that. Take a look around. I know it's dark, but if you look closely, you'll see that nothing seems to be out of place. Knowing Jinx, Gizmo, and especially Mammoth, if they had gotten what they came for, this place would be a mess."

Starfire clasped her hands together and merely observed the conversation, not having anything to add to it. Robin rubbed his chin some more and nodded in agreement. "Raven's right. It's too quiet and too clean. But I stand by the fact that this was a real distress call. I don't understand..."

"Are they not lying in wait?" Starfire finally chimed in, looking around anxiously.

Robin shook his head and stared at the far wall for a moment. "No. I checked. Besides..." He suddenly reached his hand to his belt and whipped off a birdarang, holding it high over his opposite shoulder. "... That's really not their style."

The ebony-haired boy threw the red projectile swiftly towards the wall he had been staring at. It impacted against a large switch, suddenly bathing the entire warehouse in pale, artificial light. Robin turned to his teammates. "Let's shine a little light on this mystery. Go make another sweep of the building. Search for clues. Yell if you find anything."

He did not really expect anyone to have to yell, but as it turned out, it was more inevitable than he had ever dreamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The high pitched, shrill, and blood-curling shriek that left Starfire's lips would haunt everyone for months, maybe years to come. Instantly, ever Titan was on alert, whipping around from wherever they were to face Starfire and rush to her aid if need be.

"Starfire!" This was Robin's automatic response whenever he perceived the Tamaranean princess to be in harm's way. He dashed towards her, being flanked by the other three as they all ran up to see what had alarmed her so. "Starfire what's-- Oh my god..."

Starfire's entire body was trembling violently, and another scream echoed throughout the building as she turned her head and looked behind a stack of wooden crates. Instinctively, Cyborg seized the small girl by the shoulders and pulled her away from where she stood, turning her around and shielding her with his massive arms. "No... Star... don't look anymore..." his deep voice stammered, losing strength and volume increasingly.

Beast Boy reacted similarly to Starfire, only he managed to repress the urge to scream out. He recoiled violently, moving back to where Cyborg was restraining Starfire. His lean body dropped to the floor and he started to shake as well, his emerald eyes wide and frightened, his lip quivering with speechless fear. It was almost like he had become an instant vegetable.

Raven's cold stare was on the floor ahead of them. She stood unblinking, her expression never changing. "My god..." was all she uttered in an unmoved voice. However, somewhere in the back of the room, a light bulb exploded. This caused Starfire to scream out again in terror.

Robin would usually go to Starfire to console her, but what he was staring at completely blocked her suffering out from his mind. Two cold and stiff bodies lay mangled and sprawled out on the floor between various boxes and crates. They were the bodies of Gizmo and Mammoth. It may not have been so awful if the expressions on their faces were not so twisted and terrified, and if blood was not trickling from the corners of their mouths. Tiny Gizmo's face was covered with fresh wounds and bruises, and his right leg was bent in a direction that definitely was not natural. His beady eyes were soaked in fear and his mouth hung open as if he were still screaming. Mammoth was not in much better shape. The large male was only half-visible behind a stack of crates, but it was clear that a large chunk of his flesh was no longer connected to his chest. A fresh pool of blood speckled with flesh was a testament to this. Beast Boy turned to the side and doubled over before vomiting violently onto the floor. Raven gracefully sidestepped it without looking down at him and Cyborg let go of Starfire for a moment and knelt down beside the changeling.

"Beast Boy... it's.. it's all right. You're gonna be cool. Just let it out... it's cool."

He held tightly to Beast Boy's shoulder and patted his back as gently as he could as the green boy continued to spill his guts onto the hard cement floor.

Starfire fell to her knees and started to weep uncontrollably. Robin had not quite snapped out of the initial shock of seeing Gizmo and Mammoth lying on the floor, stone cold dead. His eyes darted to Raven who was already looking at him, her emotionless gaze burning into his eyes. It almost occurred to him to say, "What about the other one" but that statement seemed so outlandish that it did not leave his lips. However, another shriek from Starfire soon answered that question for him.

Robin and Raven turned to see what had terrified Starfire this time. The orange girl was staring wide-eyed up at the ceiling, her tears flowing from her eyes like waterfalls. Cyborg turned his head as well, still coaxing Beast Boy through his vomiting fit. Robin, Raven, and Cyborg all followed Starfire's gaze towards the ceiling. About 20 feet up, the saw the dangling figure of Jinx. Robin and Cyborg gasped, Raven said nothing. The magenta-haired girl had been strung up by her neck on a rope and now swung back and forth slowly, emitting an eerie creaking noise that could only be heard in dead silence. Blood oozed from her mouth and her nose, and what made matters worse, she wore a rather psychotic grin on her face, though her eyes were glazed over and spaced out. Starfire started to wail like a child deprived of something he really wants. Beast Boy had finished hurling, but Cyborg refused to let him look up. Robin finally broke out of the iron-grip of shock and horror and strode over to Starfire and knelt in front of her, sliding his arms around her trembling frame.

"Star... It's ok. You're ok..." This was all he could say, for everything was not ok, and he did not want to lie to her further. He held her for a minute or two before he looked direly over to Cyborg. "Cyborg... I think you should take Starfire and Beast Boy out of here... Go back to the Tower, in fact." His eyes lowered, then shifted over to Raven who stood still and quiet. "Raven... could you... stay and..."

Raven nodded, knowing what had to be done, and knowing that Robin chose her for her skill at controlling her emotions so well. "Yes, Robin. I'll help you."

Robin nodded appreciatively at her, his lip quivering a bit as he caught a glimpse at Gizmo's shattered expression again. "Thanks."

"But Robin..." Cyborg usually put up a much bigger fight when it came to things like this. He never wanted to leave any of his teammates in need, but as he looked at Beast Boy and the sobbing Starfire, he knew that he would be helping just as much by bringing them home. He lowered his head and nodded. "Right... I'll take them. You keep in contact."

"Of course. Thank you, Cyborg." Robin turned back to Starfire and pulled her up to her feet with some difficulty. "Star? Listen to me. Everything is going to be all right. Cyborg is going to take you and Beast Boy home. You'll be safe there with them, ok? Raven and I will be home soon."

Starfire could not speak and Robin did not force her to. He held onto her firmly until Cyborg relieved him, gently lifting the small girl up and holding her over his shoulder. He had picked up Beast Boy in a similar fashion and was ready to make the long trek home with his incapacitated comrades. He looked at Robin with a concerned face. "Be careful Rob... sort this out and come back as soon as possible." He looked over his shoulder as he started walking towards the large doors at the front entrance of the warehouse. "You too, Raven. Take care of each other..."

Raven nodded sincerely to Cyborg as the cybernetic man started running to the door with Beast Boy and Starfire slumped over his shoulders.

Robin and Raven watched as he forced the locked doors open and hurried out into the night. Then turned and looked at each other silently, as if making all sorts of wordless agreements. "Right. I'm going to notify the police," Robin began, holding his communicator up to his face. "Meanwhile could you... you know... get her down...?" He tilted his head to indicate Jinx who was still swinging grotesquely from her noose in the rafters.

Raven cast another emotionless glance up towards the ceiling then nodded to Robin. "Yes. I'll do that." She closed her eyes and lifted both of her hands into the air. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos....."


	3. Clouds of Steam

Teen Titans: **All Things... Good or Bad...: Part Three**  
  
Author's Note:  
  
I'm not good at writing disclaimers, because at the moment I am not motivated enough to dig around to find out all the copyright information regarding Teen Titans... so...  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... D.C. Comics... blah blah blah... I do not own stock in them.. blah blah.. do not take credit for Teen Titans characters.. blah blah... just paying homage... yadda yadda.

Warning: Um.. not much to report this chapter.. except.. a little sexual innuendo... darn, I hate spoiling things for warning's sake!

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Part Three: Clouds of Steam

Titans Tower was truly a testament to dynamic architecture. The pale moonbeams bounced off of the shiny metallic surface of the building, illuminating the island on which it rested. It was nigh midnight when the two dark-haired Titans walked up to the tall double doors at the foot of the tower.

Raven practically had to drag Robin back to their headquarters. The Boy Wonder practically wanted to put on a badge and direct traffic after spending a good hour or two surrounded by police officers who came to investigate the slaughter at the warehouse. The Titans never worked too closely with the 'normal law enforcement,' but the gruesome and mysterious death of three of their most notorious adversaries was too important to abandon. When Robin had collected more evidence than Sherlock Holmes had accumulated in his entire career, Raven grabbed the black-haired boy by the cape and escorted him out of the warehouse for fear that the police may start to harass them.

She was right to do so; the police respected the Titans, but harbored a bit of resentment as well. Robin usually ignored this, since the police were really no match for the type of villains that Jump City had to offer, but this night, he agreed that it might be best to leave them to their jobs. "Besides," Raven had said as she offered to fly Robin back to the tower, "we should really check in with Cyborg and the others."

Raven's mild concern for her teammates had become much less mild over the past several months, and she tended to more readily voice this concern. Robin opened up a line of communication with Titans Tower as Raven firmly grasped his shoulders, concentrating and preparing to lift the boy into the air with her. "Cyborg? Are you guys there? It's us. Report, please."

Having been slowed down a bit by the two-person payload, Cyborg had taken a bit more time to return to the tower than had been taken to get to the warehouse earlier that night. However, the cybernetic young adult had managed to safely and inconspicuously carry his friends back home. The two had remained slung over Cyborg's shoulders, making no conversation or sound safe the occasional sob from Starfire and the incoherent moan from Beast Boy. Cyborg reassured them a few times, insisting that everything would be "fine." He had not let the mental images of what they had witnessed get to him, and the fact that their most familiar rivals were in fact... gone.

And so brutally. Cyborg was not thinking about any of this. Upon entering the tower, he set both Starfire and Beast Boy down on the living room sofa. He looked them over, pondering what should be done with them. He suddenly felt very fatherly, and it startled him for a moment as he watched Starfire tremble and Beast Boy appear as though he was about to go comatose. Rubbing his chin with his forefinger and thumb, Cyborg suggested that they both go to bed. Starfire clenched her fists and vehemently shook her head back and forth, protesting that she wanted to wait for Robin and Raven to return. Cyborg was a bit reluctant at this request, but he was quite relieved that Starfire was coherently able to communicate. Beast Boy was another story. He merely sat slumped on the couch and looked rather green around the gills... but more green than normal. Cyborg observed an unsightly stain and remnants of vomit on Beast Boy's uniform and blinked a few times, not having noticed it until that very moment. He lifted a finger in the direction of the bathroom and suggested that the young shape-shifter hit the showers. As a side note, he added that it may very well relax the feral boy's nerves. Beast Boy did not seem to hear him at first, but then showed signs of life by nodding a bit then slowly disappearing down the hallway. It was then that Cyborg heard Robin's voice coming from the main computer room.

"Yo Robbie. What's going on? You guys cool?"

Cyborg leaned over the computer terminal console and stared up at the large image of the team leader on the screen. Robin tried to look as calm and collected as possible as he addressed his half-robotic comrade.

"We're fine, Cyborg. We'll talk about all this when Raven and I get back." He paused and seemed to look past Cyborg for a second. "How are Beast Boy and Starfire?"

Cyborg commented on the status of the younger Titans and Robin merely nodded in understanding, then reported that he and Raven would return within ten minutes or so.

The two walked briskly up the hallway that led to the living area where Cyborg said he would most likely be waiting with Starfire. Lo and behold, the tallest Titan was pacing back and forth in front of the big screen television while occasionally glancing at Starfire who had trembled herself to sleep on the sofa moments beforehand. He blinked as he noticed Robin and Raven out of the corner of his eye, and as Robin approached with his finger up and his mouth open, Cyborg quickly shushed him and pointed at Starfire.

Robin obliged and motioned for Cyborg to come over, and Cyborg in turn obliged him. The shorter boy quietly briefed the half-robot about the night's events involving the police and the investigation of the murder scene. Cyborg nodded at all of the appropriate moments and did his best not to react to the slight cracking in Robin's voice as he recounted the unsettling details. Raven merely stood cold still a few feet behind and blinked from time to time. Her hood was still up.

After about ten minutes of discussion, the two males agreed to further ponder the matter when the sun had come up and everyone had enjoyed a much wanted sleep. Raven's eyes were close, as though she had gotten a head start on the matter, but she opened them again when Robin suddenly spoke off-topic. "Where's Beast Boy? Is he already asleep?"

Cyborg looked as though he had left a roast in the oven and forgot about it for five days. "Oh, I told him to go take a bath. He was a real mess... but that was a while ago." He stood in silence for several seconds as Robin and Raven merely looked at him with somewhat concerned gazes. "Maybe someone should check on him."

Robin nodded and was about to open his mouth to nominate himself as the obvious volunteer, but Raven abruptly interrupted before he could begin. "I'll do it." Her voice was dry and cracked ever so slightly as though she had not spoken for days. It would have taken Robin and Cyborg a week to respond to her statement, as they could only stare at her incredulously. They could not decide if they were more surprised to hear Raven express that much concern for Beast Boy in general, or if they were shocked that she was going to check on him while he was in the _bath._

Nevertheless, Raven showed no signs that she was joking, or even that she was serious. She said nothing more and bowed her head ever so slightly to the two boys in front of her. Not waiting for a response, she turned on her heels and began walking down the hallway behind them. Robin and Cyborg just stared.

"Ooookay. Now I've heard everything," Cyborg finally said when Raven had disappeared into the darkness of the hall.

Robin silently agreed, then looked over to Starfire on the couch. "How is she..." he mouthed softly, not really expecting an answer.

Cyborg honestly replied, "I'm really not sure." A few seconds of awkward silence ensued, and Cyborg seemed to get the point by the expression on Robin's face. He placed a large hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "G'night, Robbie. Wake me up if you need to." With that, the tall young man turned towards the hallway and marched solemnly into the darkness, the blue lights on his limbs illuminating the walls for a minute before disappearing.

Robin made his way to the other side of the couch and gazed down at the sleeping princess for a moment. He could think of nothing else to do beside gently pick her up into his arms. He examined her face as he cradled her carefully; she showed no signs of stirring. With a small sigh, the boy carried the girl into the hallway and to her very pink room.

Raven stood stiffly in front of the bathroom door. She knocked for the third time and again received no answer. "Maybe he drowned." She said this so dryly that to someone who did not know Raven very well might have been appalled at her insensitive remark. However, deep inside, Raven's heart was beating very quickly at the thought that he may actually have come to harm behind that closed door. She blinked a few times then turned the doorknob and pushed her hip against the door as if expecting some kind of resistance. None came and the door swung open with ease.

The girl almost let out a cough when she entered and hastily pulled down her hood. It was as though the room was full of smoke, but in actuality, it was only steam. Still, the thick, hot air assaulted Raven's face and eyes and she lifted her cloak over her nose and squinted. "... Beast Boy?" She took a step forward and fanned the gossamer mist with her free hand, letting a good amount escape through the door behind her. The vapor cleared a bit and she found it easier to see what was in front of her, which may or may not have been a bad thing.

The young changeling lay in steaming hot water up to his neck in the sizeable bathtub at the far end of the bathroom. His left arm hung limply over the side of the tub and he stared blankly at the ceiling. His clothes were on the floor not too far from him, and one shoe was near the toilet and the other lay upside down under the sink. His gloves were scattered about in a similarly unkempt fashion. Raven observed this and thought it a wonder that he even made it into the bathtub at all.

Cautiously, she advanced a few more steps. "Beast Boy," she demanded in a soft, but more stern voice than she had previously used. Still no response. Now her heart actually skipped a beat and composure was quickly escaping her. Several more steps were taken until she was adjacent to the bathtub and leaning directly over the younger boy's head. "Beast Boy!"

The green shape-shifter continued to stare blankly through Raven. The girl was about to panic when Beast Boy suddenly blinked a few times, his eyes growing wide. "R-Raven!"

He jumped into an alert state and almost jumped out of the water, but he thought better of that at the last second. His hands quickly splashed down into the scalding water and made their way between his legs where they conveniently created a visual barrier between Raven's eyes and his boyhood. Raven's alarmed expression rapidly returned to its default setting of calm and collected.

"Beast Boy, are you trying to cook yourself or something?"

Beast Boy had not expected such a bizarre comment and he did not bother acknowledging the fact that Raven sort of, kind of, was making a joke about the temperature of the bath water. He was preoccupied being completely embarrassed and mortified that she was staring at him.

"What? What are you doing in here?!"

"Cyborg sent me to check on you. He thought you might have drowned, or needed help finding your rubber ducky." Raven was being more sarcastic than usual, but it was a great way to mask her true concern for her friend. She expected Beast Boy to retort with more sarcasm or more protest, but when he merely glared at her with eyes that she could identify as nothing but pure hurt, she tilted her head to the side and said, "What?"

A moment of silence ensued. "Raven, I'm naked!"

"So?"

"Whaddya mean, 'so'?"

"You don't seem to care when you're a dog, or a gorilla, or a bull." Raven had no idea why she was having this conversation with Beast Boy. In fact, her stomach did a somersault and she gulped hard, and then returned to her ultra-calm state of mind before the toilet exploded or something terrible like that. Suddenly, she knelt down in front of the bathtub and gazed at Beast Boy from this lower elevation, intending to give him more privacy. She could have just left. He was obviously alive and well, and that was all she was required to find out. But something made her stay and pursue this uncomfortable conversation.

"That's different!" Beast Boy blurted out, suspiciously watching as Raven sat down on the floor next to his black and purple outfit.

"Is it?" she replied dryly, blinking at his clothing with feigned interest. What was she saying? Did she even know? Did she care that she was making Beast Boy so uncomfortable by talking about the magnitude of his nudity? Did she care that she was making _herself_ uncomfortable? Yet still, she pursued the issue. Of course it was different. When Beast Boy assumed his animal forms, he was technically naked, but he was an animal. She never really thought much about it, however, she had 'glanced' at the area in question, but no differently than one would glance at a random male dog walking down the street. Or so she thought. But she had never equated or compared the nakedness of those forms to his true form... why the hell was she suddenly thinking about such a horrible topic now? She looked at Beast Boy's face. He looked like a deer in headlights. She imaged him as a buck for a moment, then blinked the image away.

"Well... yeah!" he stuttered after a beat. He half expected her to say, "How so?" but she didn't. They glared at each other awkwardly for about a minute before the young changeling turned away and stared down at the steaming water in front of him.

The truth was, Raven was desperately trying to get the horrifying look on Jinx's face out of her head. The moment she looked up at her old nemesis, the bloody cackling face was burned into her memory. For some reason it had greatly disturbed her, but with great strength and struggle, she had been able to tune it out and control an otherwise violent reaction to it. By exploring another demon-- the fact that Beast Boy was 'growing up' and she was indeed noticing-- the grotesque images of the night could be pushed to the back of her consciousness until later. And truly, sitting next to Beast Boy while he was bare-ass naked disturbed her less than having to relive the repressed feelings of seeing the Hive students slaughtered like that. She almost wanted to tell Beast Boy, "Relax, it's not like I haven't seen a naked boy before." But she did not feel like lying to him tonight. She decided to cut the crap.

"Beast Boy, are you all right?"

He did not look at her, but pretended to be very interested with the water in front of him. "Well I guess so... I mean..."

She cut him off. "About tonight... I--"

He returned the favor. "I don't wanna talk about it." He lifted one hand and made a point to slide it across his already wet chest, as if to further wash away the memory of the vomit that had made its home there earlier.

Raven paused and looked under the bathtub. "I understand." And she truly did. She lifted a hand a short distance and her fingertips glowed an eerie black in color. For a second her eyes turned pure white. In the next moment, a small yellow object rested in her hand. "Here." She stood up and dropped it into the water, splashing a bit onto Beast Boy's face. He blinked a few times and took one hand and wiped his face, using the other hand to once again conceal himself from Raven's trespassing eyes. "Good night, Beast Boy." With that, the girl turned with a dramatic flourish of her cloak and exited the bathroom, closing the door with her telekinetic powers.

The younger boy watched her leave in awe, then looked down at the water. A cheerful yellow rubber ducky bobbed playfully in front of him.


End file.
